ATLANTA — Already missing their best young player, their veteran leader, their top catcher and one member of their rotation, the Nationals took the field Friday night at Turner Field understanding how much was, and is, at stake this weekend against a Braves club that entered play with a 5 1/2-game lead on them in the NL East.

And then Stephen Strasburg departed after only two innings with a strained right oblique muscle, and suddenly a Nationals club that had been furiously trying to tread water for two months now looked on the verge of sinking below sea level.

The best ballclubs, though, have to overcome adversity somewhere along the way, and what better place for the Nationals to start than right here and right now, their season on the brink of major calamity?

So it was that Craig Stammen produced an emergency relief appearance for the ages — 12 batters faced, 12 batters retired — and a struggling lineup manufactured three early runs and a maligned bullpen hung on for dear life over the final three innings to pull out a 3-2 victory that felt like something far more significant than a run-of-the-mill win on the final day of May.

“It was an outstanding effort, and a big win,” manager Davey Johnson said. “We needed it bad.”Read more

Anthony Rendon being promoted is a very big deal. As Kilgore said:"The Nationals’ victory in Atlanta was a huge moment for their season, but Rendon’s step up may have a larger long-range effect of the year. Class AAA is not a place top prospects stay long; it is finishing school."Especially interesting considering that Davey said yesterday that changes needed to be made…

"Take out May to August of last year, and they are a slightly-better-than-.500 club. Which is what they were in 2011."————-My new favorite comment… Take away this 4 MONTHs where we did well, and last season sucks! Yeah! And if you take away those 98 wins, all you have is those 64 losses!!!Hilarious….. God, I love this place….

For people with more knowledge of orthopedics than me: if two pitchers both strain their obliques in the same season (adding in something potentially weird with Zimmermann, considering his stiff neck and slight lack of control last start), is that likely to be just one of those weird things or some systematic conditioning problem? Because it seems like it should be the latter, but I have to admit I don't know enough about it to say for sure.Erik Davis is apparently being called up, so someone (Harper? Stras? Clipp, who seemed to lose control a bit after stretching for that errant LaRoche flip? Espinosa?) must be going on the DL.

Not trying to stir up the Henry haters on here but can you imagine if he had hit two batters, thrown a wild pitch and given up two singles! People would have demanded him shipped off to Bratislava (where I found out last year they actually do play baseball). Just happy that Clip could have enough presence to finish the inning and that we are one game closer to first place.Really hoping we see good Gio tonight. With Davis up and Stammen and Clip probably shut down for the day I am wondering if Davey will do more mix and match type stuff and not let his relievers go the full inning. He has two lefties, and two righties to get him to the 8th for Storen.Go Nats!!

While maybe not an injury, I want to see if Solano will start tonight. I can't believe how tough Suzuki was, staying in last night but I am betting after the adrenaline rush, he is one sore puppy today. I saw it a couple times and I am not sure if it got him on the collarbone or a little lower on his pectoral muscle. If its the latter, I am guessing he has a better chance to go. Catchers are unbelievably tough.Go Nats!!

Control/walks have definitely been Clipp's main problem this year – his K/9 matches last year almost exactly so far, and hits/9 are actually down a bit. But BB/9 has gone from 3.6 to 4.3, though in a smaller sample size so far, and he's already hit as many batters with a pitch just last night as he did all year last year.To compare him to Henry, though…that guy has a BB/9 of 7.1 so far, which is just nuts.

I don't think it's the conditioning for the pitchers– I blame the golf!! Obliques and hamstrings seem to be the nastiest little persistent injuries. Can't really do much about either one but wait. As for Bryce- when you have swelling, shouldn't you have it elevated? Maybe in the dugout he could elevate his knee instead of standing and walking for hours. They are going to have to DL him and tie him down to get him well. I hope this continuing rash of injuries doesn't cause the previously injured to rush back. Second tier guys are getting there now.

We need to start DL- ing guys so the bench is not so short. There are a few teams that have played well into the night lately. Extra innings and JZ will be playing in left field. Stammen quoted as being excited that he would get to hit. Typical of our pitchers.

Sjm, I hadn't thought about if it had been HRod who uncorked that innjNG, and you are right. I might have been one of them.This morning, I'm happy for Davis and Rendon. Glad for whomever gets put on the DL to mend…I'm hoping Espi, betting Stras, so it's probably the Kid. So many candidates for healing.Mostly I'm proud of the guys for digging deep and making to work. Msybe this adversity will help them keep touching that place. GYFNG!

We have some guys on our team with great name recognition. That is cool, but I really love it when the no- name guys step up and get the job done. Imagine someone unfamiliar with the Nats saying Steve who? And Craig who? They thought they were going to see Stras and Zimmy or maybe Harper. You have got to have those guys on your team.

I sure hope Stammen showed them enough to get am occaisional spot start, should the need arise. He can pitch on my team any day.10 days of raking at Syracuse and Rendon will be in the starting lineup with the Nats. Where? Who knows but that bat needs to be producing for the big club on a daily basis.And Christian Garcia's first inning of relief in Harrisburg didn't go so well.Erik Davis is one of those arms opposing teams scouts rave about. I could name 7 or 8 others sprinkled through out the organization and they are not named Rosenbaum or Perry whose AAA era is up to 7.29. He's waisting a 40 man spot every day he stays on it.

I really don't like the things Stras says to the press sometimes. Just saw him on MLB, not the masn stuff. He made it sound like nothing was wrong and Davey was persecuting him. His velocity was down and his command was deteriorating. So what, we were supposed to let him go out there and serve up meatballs to the Barves? I know he wanted to stay in there, but if you were watching, what did you see? He has been so much more together lately, but in that quote the immaturity reared it's head again and he sounded his age. He needs some Crash Davis sound bite lessons.

Agreed, swami. As my husband said this a.m. in a related discussion, sometimes the talent is ahead of the maturity, or something to that effect. (Of course, in my case, neither characteristic is in evidence, so there's that.)

Not that I like menitoning them (because I really don't) but look at how decimated those @#** Yankess have been, and still have led the AL East until recently. Every team goes through injuries. Look at what the Giants did when Melky Cabrera, leading the league in hitting at the time, was gone for the season.You need depth to compete, which is what Rizzo has always been saying. Erik Davis is part of that depth. Again hats off to the scouting department.

Agree SJM…..if Rod had an inning like Clip, people would of been howling bloody murder. Braves fans must be yelling for the head of their hitting coach as much as Manassas and I do Eck. They have some pitiful averages. Maybe we can package Eck and Espi for their coach and Uggla

Davey's got it right. When something is wrong in your body you put more stress on the arm (or shoulder, or whatever). It's got to mess with your mechanics. Just take the time, Stras. We have months ahead of us and you WILL be needed. Been scanning Twitter but they have not announced who is going on the DL or being demoted. I can't recall Clip being on the DL for years, and Henry doesn't deserve it (right now). Would like to see 13-man bullpen till we get past Sunday, just live with Kobernus backing up the infielders for two days, reevaluate where we stand after the off-day.

Erik Davis uses Twitter to break the news he is getting called up. I think thats a $1,000 team fine according to Nate Karns who knew beforehand that he was getting called up and said he had to keep it a secret or be fined $1,000.

The problem Stammen's had in the past was the 2nd and 3rd time through the rotation. If he has solved that with being able to get all his pitches working, that would be GREAT. He's got the toughness and the stamina to start.

"NatsJack in Florida said… I sure hope Stammen showed them enough to get am occaisional spot start, should the need arise. He can pitch on my team any day"While he certainly could do it why would you want to screw with the bullpen that hasnt been stellar and add all those innings to Stammens arm. He was winded after that 3rd inning. When you have days off coming up and can possibly get Detwiler back soon you may be able to come up with creative solutions. If not, Ohlendorf is pitching well.I wouldnt change Stammens role to solve another hole as you just create another problem.

>Maybe I'm alone but I've been howling about Clips pitch count per inning all season.Make that his whole career. That's why he's not a starter, and he knows it. In addition to the WP, and the two HBPs, he had one of those long foul ball battles. He usually wins them (not yesterday) but it drives up his pitchcount.

For those complaining about Clipps pitch count it seems many times he gets to 20 on a good outing.OTOH if Laroche makes the throw to 1st instead of the glove exchange shuffle popup over Clipps head the inning changes the way it went down. No man on 1st and 1 out.People love to bash the better players. The end result shouldve been 1 unearned run and a attaboy for somehow getting out of that.

Clip didn't have command, but did anyone else think the 2 hbp where really more a credit to the Barves batters? Clip pitched them inside and they just stood there and took it. Made no effort to get out of the way.

"NatsJack in Florida said… Did I say I'd change his role? No. I said should the need arise."Dont they have other alternatives. If so why would the need arise. Only with improper planning would you create that need.Stammen saved the Nats behinds. Why would you do anything to create that need. He stunk as a starter when he was one. Hes in the perfect role and one of the bright spots of the bullpen.You never want to solve a short term problem by creating a long term problem.

"Whynat said… Clip didn't have command, but did anyone else think the 2 hbp where really more a credit to the Barves batters? Clip pitched them inside and they just stood there and took it. Made no effort to get out of the way."Exactly. Gatis couldve jumped back. I just cant believe those who enjoy bashing Nats players. He worked around a leadoff error/hit and somehow perserved the lead. Doom and gloom created to once again bash a Nats player. Comparisons to Henry is rediculous.

I don't think anyone is comparing Clip to Henry, just a little amusement at Henry's expense because of his propensity for WPs and HBPs. I don't think Clip hit a guy all last year… If guys want to get HBP they can do it (umps, hello!?!) but you risk injury, just ask Danny.

A scenario where there is no starter available on the 40 man, other than Stammen, you might not want to prematurely add a younger starter to the 40 man for a spot start, hence, an occaisional spot start may be in order.Man, you twist things almost as bad as Feel Wood.

There were many key plays and players last night. None bigger in my mind than seeing Steve Lombardozzi execute the Sac Fly not once but twice. The Nats as has been pointed out this week and much of the season have failed miserably with men on 3rd with less than 2 outs (Tracy) and little Lombo comes through twice!On top of that Lombo now has 12 RBIs in 113 ABs. Yes, that's right, Espi has 12 RBIs in 152 ABs.

"NatsJack in Florida said… Or had Stras suffered the oblique strain during warm ups to the point of being scratched, Stammen would have been a solid choice for replacement."Given a choice of Stammen or Duke, I would choose Stammen even if all 9 batters were leftys.

Rizzo and his team deserve praise here for the smart, tough, hardball decisions they made on who to protect from last year's Rule 5 draft.I was surprised at the time that the Nats left Kobernus and Rosenbaum unprotected while protecting Erik Davis.Rizzo likes all three, but he calculated — correctly — that another team might be more likely to keep a hard-throwing reliever (Davis) on the major league roster for a full year.His riverboat gamble worked. He hung on to Davis, and Kobernus and Rosenbaum got invaluable experience in spring training with major leaguers.Kobernus and Rosenbaum returned with accelerated development and now Erik Davis is heading to the Show.Well done, Mr. Rizzo.

"NatsJack in Florida said… A scenario where there is no starter available on the 40 man"Yesterday Syracuse used Ryan Perry as a reliever for the 1st time this season. He gave up 2 runs in 1 inning. Right now there isnt another starter on the 40 man that is a available starter so Rizzo will have to add Ohlendorf and remove Perry if needed.The best scenario is to use the Monday day off and keep everyone on regular rest and hope Detwiler can move into the spot on Sunday June 9th. If not the Nats have a day off on June 10th and can adjust again.

Joe Seamhead said… Ghost, I agree about Lombo's 2 sac flies! It's amazing the Span hasn't scored more runs then he has, but maybe that will start changing. June 01, 2013 9:18 AM When you aren't a HR hitter, the only way you are going to score is if someone behind you drives you in. That isn't on Span as he is getting on base and many times stranded in scoring position. The only rub on Span is that he has had a problem at times staying on base.

Agreed. Span actually leads the team in hits. Though his OBP is still a little disappointing, he has gotten on enough that he shouldn't be third on the team in runs scored. He gets stranded way too often, thus my statement that it's amazing that he doesn't score more and that maybe it will start changing. We need somebody batting second that can actually hit the ball.

"The end result shouldve been 1 unearned run and a attaboy for somehow getting out of that."I agree. I was gnashing my teeth and wringing my hands but in the end I was cheering.Re: Clip's HBP's not only do I think the batters took it, I think Clip was putting it there on purpose. He seems to know who he really has a chance of striking out.

"NatsJack in Florida said… Maybe I'm alone but I've been howling about Clips pitch count per inning all season."Who was the announcer that characterized Clippard as "can be wild" a few weeks ago, and then all the brilliant minds here piled on, calling him an idiot? The guy knew whereof he spoke. Clippard can be wild, and last night was a prime example. Unfortunately there have been way too many examples of that this year.

"Catchers are unbelievably tough."And some are tougher than others. Did you catch the stat Carp or Ray quoted last night that the two catchers with the most MLB starts over the past five (or whatever) years are Yadier Molina and Kurt Suzuki? Don't be surprised if Rizzo picks up Suzuki's option for next year even if he doesn't get the required number of starts for it to vest automatically.

I like the matchup of Stammen against the Braves. He keeps the ball down and throws great sliders/sinkers. Its the perfect combination against a team reliant on the long ball. If necessary, we should consider him for a spot start against that obnoxious team in the future.

Let's put the Espinosa/Lombardozzi debate aside for a minute. All I know is that I want this kid Lombo in the lineup. Every team needs a player like him to win you games. How Davey could have not played him at DH in Baltimore is beyond reason. He can't help us from the bench. Imagine getting to the ballpark everyday not knowing if you are going to play? That's mental toughness.

This win was a team win. It wasn't 't Stras, or Harper, or Zim or Adam. I would love to see Stammen get one start. I always hear that relievers are a dime a dozen. Sometimes Stammen only pitches once every five days anyway. He could go back to his regular role. I think he could go five . His pitching style seemed to be perfect for those K prone batters and that big outfield. What is Stammen''s status with the team?

Caps Fan — The other thing about KSuz is that even if Ramos is indeed the Nats' "catcher of the future" or for the long run, they actually will be better off having both of them for at least a couple of years. While hopefully Ramos' taking off some weight in the off season (or substituting muscle) will help his durability and reduce his apparent injury-proneness, catching almost every day takes a tremendous toll on a catcher's offense. We saw it with Flores last year (not that he was the backstop either of our guys are) and we're seeing it with Suzuki now. Whereas for the first month of the season, both guys stayed fresher and hit better with the alternating starts.

sjm308 said… While maybe not an injury, I want to see if Solano will start tonight. I can't believe how tough Suzuki was…Man, I saw that and immediately recalled Jesus Flores getting hit in almost exactly the same spot and crumpling exactly the same way. And thinking that was how Flores's once-promising career crashed to Earth. And thinking, "Great, not one, but two more guys go on the DL tonight."Catchers – every thirty seconds, they're just an inch away from disaster.

I love Lombo's scrappiness, but he has only three walks this year, so he has a very weak on base percentage of .254.Lombo has more than 520 major league at bats in his career and he's only drawn 23 walks.I like the kid, but at the risk of annoying He Who Has Vanished, I hope Rendon is soon in the Nats lineup at second base.Zim can move to 1b later. The Nats need Rendon's bat and OBP now.

I think you exaggerate about Flores. He didn't miss some phenomenal major-league career by being worn down. He was a Rule 5 pickup, and while he did OK, he spent too much time working on his offense, and (from what I heard) sulking when Ramos came along and things didn't go his way.

Rizzo would best be served to try to renegotiate Suzuki's deal sooner than later. He's good but not worth $8.5 million on fair market value next year. I'm thinking closer to $3 million. Billy Beane is a shrewd guy. Not sure how he agreed to that deal with Dan Lozano that paid Suzuki even the $5 million last year and the $6.45 million this year. It was the whole reason Beane was willing to trade him as it was a salary dump with Suzuki's offensive stats headed towards Mendoza levels.

good talk on espinosa on nats talk liveMariners sent Dustin AckleyBraves on verge of sending BJ Upton to minors"You can't stay in the majors and strike out so often. not sure he can hit a sac fly. Always strikes out on same pitches. Has not changed his approach in any way"Good analysis by Mike and Phil

Phil Wood and Mike Wallace are having a great and honest discussion on Espi right now… Finally, they make me feel like I am not off base on Espi. Lombo produces 2 sac RBI's last night.These injuries and playing players who are not 100% are really turning me off to the entire medical staff of teh Nats, Rizzo and Davey…they make Shanahan and Dr Andrews look competent. This may be a bigger story than the Nats poor start

Drew said…I like the kid, but at the risk of annoying He Who Has Vanished, I hope Rendon is soon in the Nats lineup at second base.I've said that here since the day he got Drafted. While most players have a natural position, few ever play their entire career at the natural position besides pitchers, catchers, and 1st baseman.One of the unwritten sayings in baseball is that if you can hit they will find a position for you. Rendon fits that.

If you claim you have depth… why the hell don't you sit Espi down, put him on DL, put Harp on DL…why are they forcing players to play hurt and then LYING about it publicly. I am seeing scumbag qualities in this organization that i do not like. There is no spin, no excuse, no BS explanation for this. Chickens will come home to roost if they keep doing this

mick said… Phil Wood and Mike Wallace are having a great and honest discussion on Espi right now… Finally, they make me feel like I am not off base on Espi. Lombo produces 2 sac RBI's last night.Big deal. They are the Johnny Come Latelys. I've gotten heat for almost 2 years going against the current saying he has major flaws and getting more adament as his experience became a large sample size of flaws exposed. Where was Phil and Mikey then?Anyone can jump on with the side of public opinion and act like they just made a great discovery. A big mistake to come into the WS or Bust season with that hole at 2nd base. Lombo, great kid but until he shows the ability to to work the walks he is going to be a below average 2nd baseman. Is he better than Espinosa, yes.

jeffwx, the only capable backup shortstop is Espi. What's the big deal. If something happened in-game you put Lombo in there to finish out the game and re-activate Espinosa and put Desi on the DL.Where's the fire?

jeffwx said… Mick, are we the only two that watch Mike and Phil ;)Any other nats nerds June 01, 2013 10:58 AM It's the worst production and hard to watch. They say nothing that you don't already know. Watch the reruns of MLB Network or ESPN.

I think you cannot hold the entire team hostage just because you are afraid you might need a backup shortstop for a day. After one game you can call some one up. Kobernus or Lombo could cover a game, Zim could cover one game. You cannot base a decision on just that.

jeffwx said…Disagree, Ghostlove the old stories. It's the only show where I heard Ron Bloomberg mentioned ;)(the first DH)well said, that is why I love Phil and CueballheadI thought Tommy Davis was the first DH, lol

mick said… Ghost Of Steve M.you know I like you and agree 99% of the time with you….but, how can you say that about Phil Wood, honestly? June 01, 2013 11:04 AM Phil lost his mind during the season last year with crazy statements. We know each other as we both collect old Senators memorabilia and he is an encyclopedia on Washington Senators baseball. I have no problem saying Phil has a hard time analyzing this team and jumps on the bandwagon.

I watch Mike and Phil. At least it's the only show without joint coverage. And as for the Lombo doesn't walk thing– guys who make contact a lot don't whiff or walk much. You get reach on error, move a runner and sac fly- it's a trade off. You would not want every guy to play that way, but it's nice to have a couple. Seems like there are a few people continually trying to run Lombo down by cherry picking stats. I will take the RBI with risp. NOT saying he is an all star, but a really good role player on this team.

The Nats aren't going to win many with 3 or 4 guys in the lineup hitting below .200. They have no offense–none. We are a third of the way through the season and still waiting for "guys to get going." Here are my fixes: put Espinoza on the 30 day DL and play Lombo every day. Send Moore down to figure it out at AAA. Play Kobernus who was hitting at AAA and see what he can do. Dump Duke if you have no confidence in him (and why should they?) DL Stras and bring someone up.The one thing I hope they do not do is panic and dump the minors for a temporary fix. We may have to accept this season for what happens to fix the training problems (lats and hammies) and fix the lineup in the offseason.

The only thing I hate is the " back in my day things were better and tougher" thing. I am old and I hate that stuff. Different is not worse or better, it's just different. You want old school get rid of the ridiculous new DH and go back to real baseball.

JamesFan, there were only 2 sub 200 guys in the lineup last night outside of the pitcher and Bernadina got the job done. Zim and LaRoche combined for an 0-7 and RZim GIDP'd that killed an inning.Span and Lombo produced in the 1-2 and that was enough in this game. It wasn't pretty as the Nats had opportunities.

Ghost – totally agree he needs to walk more, and transfer the ball from receiving to throwing a bit faster. Still not all that experienced. I just again caution people to stop with the " people in the lineup hitting below 200" thing. Hitting below 200 when? April? What are they hitting NOW? Who is hot NOW? Espi probably us still there, but it would seem that Lombo and Bernadina are not any longer.

baseballswami with another great point. Look at the last 30 days and Bernadina and Tyler Moore have both stepped up. You cant erase April however Tyler Moore has less at bats than both Espi and Lombo and has 12 RBIs.It goes back to the same thing why is Espinosa still playing. Im hoping that Rendons promotion is to play 2nd base full time. If it isnt than I have to wonder about Rizzo. I sure believe Rendon in a pinch could go from 2nd base to 3rd base and needs the work at 2nd base.

Unfortunately it's a stretch to say any of Tyler Moore's stats are good except he has helped the team in driving in some key runs.Bernadina has done it with the glove, his legs and in May .228/.279/.386/.665 and in the last week.350/.350/.700/1.050 He is now doing a great Bryce Harper impression!

Au contraire, esteemed Swami.I am not trying to run Lombo down and I am certainly not cherry picking stats. I said quite clearly that I like the kid.I'm just saying that for a guy without power, the ability to get on base is essential.I think Lombo's a valuable utility guy, but saying Lombo is more productive than Espi is like saying Eddie Brinkman out slugged Tim Cullen.Rendon would be an enormous offensive upgrade.

Saw Nats are 2-10 without Harper….We need a good impression by Bernadina.From some experiments in the past couple weeks, we see Abhad has potential to be a left handed specialist,Lombo helps the offense, just enough.Karnes also can pitch at this level.Tyler in a slump even as a starterEspinosa needs DL time…5 day rest hasn't helped

Today should be Nationsl Stamnen day! Drew – I am actually closer to you about Lombo than you think. Totally agree that he will never be an all star and may never have his own position. He does have a high value as a role player because of his ability to play many positions , contact hitting, baseball IQ and scrappiness. Expecting power , I think, is going too far. Although when more mature, perhaps. I see Scutaro, Carroll and Zobrist value in the future. I think the main thing I see is that most of the lesser players are making adjustments and improvements. Is Espi? Wouldn't some DL time and a nice rehab assignment be good for his head? Take some pressure off?

Drew, well said. Like you I have higher expectations. I think Lombo could be that Jamey Carroll player but circumstances may not afford him the time to do it here. Right now he is a bottom 1/3 of the league type player and Espi is the 2nd worse in the Majors. Lombo is an upgrade no doubt just not enough to say he's the future.

Oh and Moore- he is just not an outfielder and could benefit from a stint in Syracuse to regain his stroke. He was intentionally walked recently , even with his average because he could go yard at any time. If he can hit for average then his power threat will be valuable. Don't know if he can adjust to the outfield- if Morse and Dunn can do it….,

baseballswami, I love Jamey Carroll. Heart & Hustle Award guy. It just shows that a guy who is persistent and works at his craft and uses his one great skill of making contact can make an entire career as a banjo hitter. Imagine that!Lombo I think has a higher ceiling and just needs a team to give him reps. I just don't know if it will happen here.

All over twitter there is dark mourning about Bryce going to the DL. Am I the only one who sees this as a good thing??? Tie him down and get him well!! Tired of guys sitting out and a short roster. I am guessing that Bryce is already 5 days into the 15.

"Ghost Of Steve M. said… Nats128 Tyler Moore's last month is .127/.186/.255/.441 so not true. His last week is better .167/.211/.389/.599"You are right and I was wrong. I shouldve checked the stats before trying to do something from memory. Hard to get exciting about a .211 OBP

Tyler can be ao valuable to this organization. Are they managing him correctly as a future asset? Would not mind seeing Cirey Brown, who is a good outfielder, or Chris Marerro, who is hitting well right now.